Trademark Licensing Business Rises 3% In '13, With Sports Up For Fourth Straight Year

Licensors generated an estimated $5.6B in royalty revenue in the U.S. and Canada last year, a 3.3% increase from ’12, with the five largest sectors being entertainment/character, corporate/brand, fashion, sports and collegiate, according to an analysis of data set to be released today by the Int’l Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). This is the third consecutive year-over-year increase in the trademark licensing business. The sports category, consisting of major leagues, saw growth for the fourth year in a row, with royalty revenue rising 1.9% to $698M over the previous year, with retail sales of about $12.8B. The collegiate segment rose to an estimated $209M in licensing revenues, translating to $3.88B in retail sales.